A lot is always talked about how teachers and parents can prep for online classes, but a big part of the success depends on students. While a teacher can facilitate and direct the flow of the class, students need to do their bit to help them make a success. Don’t shirk off your responsibility. Here are five rules you can make note of:

BE KIND AND RESPECTFUL

The veneer of online name can give you the means to say hurtful or disrespectful things but remember that your classmates and teachers are real people who are affected by the words you say or write.

Tip: If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, don’t say it online either.

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE

All caps, strong language, and exclamation points are some things to avoid. It is easy for written text to be misread and misunderstood. Have you ever sent a text message with good intent but your recipient thought you were being rude? If so, then you’ve experienced this.

Tip: Avoid slangs, acronyms. A good way to gauge this is to read everything out loud before you send it.

USE HUMOUR CAREFULLY

Certainly, you shouldn’t avoid being funny. Humour is a good way to keep the lesson interesting, but like in Rule #2, make sure that it is clear you are being funny and not rude.

Tip: Emoticons and smileys can be helpful when conveying humour or sarcasm – not for assignments, of course.

CITE YOUR SOURCES

Whenever you are sharing an idea that originated from someone else (even if it is not word for word), it is good practice to cite that source. This applies to discussion forums too. If you read a great thought in your text, share it, but be sure you let your audience know where you saw it first.

GRAMMAR MATTERS

And spellings too. While texting, textspeak can be great but in an educational setting, keep it formal. Your written communication should reflect proper writing style.

Tip: If you won’t use it in your assignment, don’t use it online.